Car and Driver is back with its annual Lightning Lap roundup for a sixth year, with 20 of the world's best vehicles taking to Virginia International Raceway to lay down the quickest time around VIR's 4.1-mile Grand West Course.

Included in this year's running is a suitably diverse spread of sports cars and sedans, ranging from the lowly Volkswagen Jetta GLI to the formidable Porsche Panamera Turbo S – a difference of 350 horsepower and over $168,000. And, just to add a bit more spice to the festivities, C/D introduced a new class (LLT) to include two trucks in the running: the BMW X5 M and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

But what C/D gives, it taketh away. Gone is the LL5 class ($250,000 and up) and so are the LLU cars, like the Mosler MT900S, the current Lightning Lap champion. And we're perfectly okay with that. After all, we're more interested in how the Lotus Evora S hangs with the Porsche Cayman R and where the BMW 1 Series M Coupe stacks up against the Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca – and not just for convoluted naming conventions.

650 horsepower. 600 pound-feet of torque. 200-plus miles per hour. With specs like these, you don't need long-form introductions. This is the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, and all we can say is, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has officially been put on notice.

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 engineThe heart of the new Ford stunner is a 5.8-liter, aluminum-block V8, complete with a larger, more efficient supercharger. Nearly the entire powertrain has been upgraded for 2013, including a new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded clutch, transmission and axle. The cooling system has also been upgraded, and the new six-speed manual transmission now has a final drive ratio of 3.31-to-1 – optimized to handle the massive amounts of torque put down by the new engine.

Further enhancements can be had in the GT500 Performance Pack, which incorporates SVT-designed Blistein electronic adjustable dampers with 'normal' and 'sport' modes and a Torsen limited-slip differential. What's more, the Track Package adds an external engine oil cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler. Like the current GT500, 19-inch wheels are standard up front (20-inch rollers are found out back) and a Brembo braking system keeps everything in check when its time to control all that force. The whole package weighs in at just 3,850 pounds – 270 less than the Camaro ZL1 – and Ford says it will not be subject to the dreaded Gas Guzzler Tax.

Visually, not too much has changed from the current GT500, save some minor aerodynamic tweaks like an ever-so-slightly revised front fascia with new air splitters, as well as a minimally tweaked rear end. Inside, it's the same levels of comfort and refinement that you'll find in the rest of the Mustang lineup, albeit with new Recaro front buckets.

Ford is set to reveal its updated 2013 Mustang at the 2011 LA Auto Show on Tuesday, but the automaker has released a teaser image via the company's Facebook page depicting a handful of the changes to the model. Those include new head- and taillights, as well as the Track App display. The spy shots we've seen so far have indicate that the 2013 Ford Mustang GT will borrow plenty of aesthetic cues from the current Shelby GT500 model, which means buyers should be able to look forward to more aggressive styling all around.

Some of those exterior tweaks likely have aerodynamic origins, including a new chin splitter and rear spoiler. We like what we've seen so far, and we can't wait to hear what Ford has planned for the 2013 GT500 when that vehicle bows. With the arrival of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the top-dog Mustang finally has some muscle car competition, which is always good news for fans of the pony car genre.

What's a COPO, you ask? Back in the heyday of American muscle cars, COPO was an acronym for Central Office Production Order, which was, for all intents and purposes, a way for Chevrolet and its enterprising dealer network to sneak high-performance option packages and oversize engines past the bigwigs at General Motors and into the waiting hands of automotive enthusiasts.

With ancient history out of the way, what's COPO mean in 2011? Well, it still means performance, but there's certainly no way Chevy is going to bypass the powers-that-be at GM HQ, especially not with a Camaro proof-of-concept that's destined to live out its life at the drag strip in NHRA Stock Eliminator drag racing competition.

According to Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports, the COPO Camaro that is debuting this week at SEMA "is a clear indication that Chevrolet intends to homologate the Camaro for sportsman drag racing." Seems pretty clear to us, too – in lieu of the standard independent rear suspension setup is a straight axle that's perfectly suited to straight-line racing. Plus, there's a full roll cage for safety.

Buyers of the COPO Camaro, if and when it becomes available, will be able to fit one of two suggested engine packages: one 427-cubic-inch naturally aspirated V8 (7.0 liters for A Stock racing) and one 327-cubic-inch supercharged V8 (5.3 liters for for AA Stock racing). The car you see in our live images is powered by a prototype version of the supercharged 327.

If you use a radar detector for your ride that is from Escort or Beltronics a new power cord is launching soon from Escort that will fit more than a million of those radar detectors already in the wild. This cord does more than just hook the radar detector to your power source. The Escort Live SmartCord Live bundle will connect your detector to the cloud for real time updates on just where the man is in your town.

The SmartCord Live is a power cord that will replace the cord on existing compatible detectors. The cord has Bluetooth connectivity inside and will connect to either Android smartphone or the iPhone using an available app. When connected to your smartphone and the detector senses a laser speed detector it will automatically upload that data to the cloud and warn other drivers in the area.

This allows the smartphone running the app to show a laser detected indicator before you are in range of the speed trap. The alerts the system sends are displayed with band, signal strength, and frequency notifications. This allows you to get an approaching live alert warning that will show you a directional arrow to the alert and a distance to the source in case the speed trap is still in place. The cloud network access requires a subscription and the subscription will cost $79.95 through 2012 with the special power cord.

It looks as if the 2013 Ford Mustang will receive a 4.2-inch LCD screen in its gauge cluster. Stang TV has gotten its hands on some photos of a few dealer training posters introducing the new tech, and the screen can be configured to display all sorts of important vehicle information.

In addition to standard data like transmission and coolant temperature, owners will be able to keep an eye on cylinder head temperature, the air/fuel ratio and more. Now this is the kind of advance we get behind. Ford also appears to be readying a number of apps that drivers will be able to access through the screen.

Chief among those is a track app that can keep tabs on you information like eighth mile, quarter mile, 0-60 and 0-100 mile-per-hour times. Drivers will even be able to measure braking performance. It all sounds like a lot of gadgetry to play around with in a safe, controlled environment.

The Nürburgring is widely regarded as the ultimate testing ground for cars and drivers alike. Needless to say, it’s often a breeding ground for excessive speed, overestimation of driving skills and recklessness, all three of which came together today in an eight car crash in the ‘Ring’s Bergwerk section. Included in the eight cars was a rented Corvette Z06 and the famous BMW M3 ‘Ring Taxi.

The accident was caused by a driver who came into the "Bergwerk" section at too high a speed. The driver slammed on his brakes, slid, and crashed into the car in front of him. His car then continued to hit two other cars also in the area. Three cars trailing this scene managed to slow down in time to avoid the accident, but the BMW M3 Ring Taxi could not unfortunately. It crashed into one of the slowing cars in front of it and then crashed into the pile of cars in front.

The pile up resulted in over 100,000 euro total damage.

When all was said and done, seven of the eight cars were not drivable and one driver was sent to a local hospital in serious condition.

This weekend, Madison Snow clinched the 2011 IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge at the series’ stop at Laguna Seca. At first this would sound like just another champion driver winning their series until you find out that Madison isn’t even old enough to legally drive. He’s 15.

So how does a kid who doesn’t own a driver’s license come to win one of the most intense race series in the world? First, the name Snow should sound familiar to those who follow motorsport. Madison is the son of Melanie Snow, a local veteran racer from Pleasant Grove who just got drafted into the first all-women driver crew in ALMS history. His family has a history and we think it’s a safe bet to assume he’s living up to their speed-filled expectations.

Secondly, Madison was brought up behind the wheel of a kart. He is a product of numerous karting series at Miller Motorsports Park, which eventually lead to numerous sessions behind the wheel of a Mustang at the racetrack’s Ford High Performance Racing School. Looks like he paid attention well, because on Sunday Snow drove his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup over the finish line to clinch the title well before the end of the season thanks to a full 47-point lead over the series’ second place driver. That’s not a win. That’s a landslide. He’s even got one more race at Road Atlanta, one that he says he’ll be able to “just have fun out there.”

General Motors has finally let one of its biggest cats out of its bag: The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be officially rated at 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque.

Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro, is justifiably proud of his creation, saying, "The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment. For sheer power, the ZL1 delivers more horsepower than a Ferrari 458, more torque than an Aston Martin DB9 V12, and a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS."

The supercharged engine is the most powerful mill ever put in the engine bay of a Camaro – besting the rated output of the 1969 Camaro ZL1's 427-cubic-inch V8 by 150 horses – and it can be mated up with either a six-speed manual gearbox or, importantly for mass appeal, a six-speed automatic fitted with Drive, Sport and Manual modes for increased driver involvement.

You may be wondering how Chevrolet expects all that power to reach the ground in any meaningful fashion that doesn't involve incinerating a fresh pair of tires. And the answer would be with Performance Traction Management and third-generation Magnetic Ride Control. Magnetic Ride control uses Magneto-Rheological fluid in the shocks and is computer controlled with readings that adjust damping a staggering 1,000 times per second, and has Tour, Sport and Track settings.

Performance Traction Management, not surprisingly, is a traction control system with five distinct modes appropriate for everything from rain to race, which is calibrated for use at drag strips conditioned with VHT (a traction compound sprayed on asphalt).

Although Porsche has released photographs showing the interior of an automatic-transmission-equipped 2012 911, we're still waiting on a clear look at the shift-yourself variety. Chas Hallet from WhatCar.com managed to get up close and personal with the newest 911, and he was kind enough to snap a picture of the shift pattern.

Earlier in the week, Tom Cruise spent time chatting with David Coulthard and getting comfortable with a Red Bull F1 car. Now, Red Bull has release video of Mr. Cruise's somewhat less than impossible mission at California's Willow Springs raceway.

Want to know what's equally impressive? When the Red Bull crew lets Tom take the helm of their helicopter for some stunt flying. Check out the vid below.